cash

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈkash 

1

: ready money

2

: money or its equivalent (such as a check) paid for goods or services at the time of purchase or delivery

cash

2 of 4

adjective

: being a method of accounting that includes as income only what has been received and as expenses only those paid compare accrual

cash

3 of 4

verb

cashed; cashing; cashes

transitive verb

1

: to pay or obtain cash for

cash a check

2

: to lead and win a bridge trick with (a card that is the highest remaining card of its suit)

cashable

ˈka-shə-bəl 

adjective

cash

4 of 4

noun (2)

plural cash

1

: any of various coins of small value in China and southern India

especially : a Chinese coin with a square hole in the center

2

: a unit of value equivalent to one cash

Illustration of cash

• ⁴cash 1

Synonyms of cash

Noun (1)

• money
• coin
• currency

Examples of cash in a Sentence

Noun (1)

went to the ATM to get more cash

Verb

The store wouldn't cash the check.

He cashed his paycheck at the bank.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The company’s cash and short-term investments have shrunk from $911 million in December 2023 to $596 million in December 2024 to $338 million at the end of last year, according to FactSet. — Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026

As the health care industry sucks up more and more cash, employers are shifting these costs to their workers. — Nicholas Florko, STAT, 29 Oct. 2026

Adjective

The non-cash markup followed a September Boring fundraising round, and SpaceX still shows a $413 million net loss for the first nine months. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026

The Biden administration later revoked that rule and adopted a policy excluding non-cash benefits from consideration. — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Verb

This ticket must be cashed at one of the nine Florida Lottery district offices, the closest of which to that Publix is in Miami Lakes at 14621 Oak Lane. — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026

Apparently, having players allegedly help bettors cash massive parlays wasn't exactly great for business. — Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

modification of Middle French or Old Italian; Middle French casse money box, from Old Italian cassa, from Latin capsa chest — more at case

Noun (2)

Portuguese caixa, from Tamil kācu, a small copper coin, from Sanskrit karṣa, a weight of gold or silver

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1913, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1811, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cash

• actual cash value
• cash-and-carry
• cash back
• cash bar
• cash card
• cash cow
• cash crop
• cash desk
• cash discount
• cash dispenser
• cash flow
• cash grab
• cash in
• cash in on
• cash machine
• cash out
• cash register
• cash-strapped
• cold cash
• hard cash
• petty cash

Rhymes for cash

• ash
• bash
• brash
• cache
• clash
• crash
• dash
• flash
• gash
• hash
• lash
• mash

Kids Definition

cash

1 of 2 noun

ˈkash 

1

: money in the form of coins or bills

2

: money or its equivalent (as a check) paid for goods at the time of purchase or delivery

cash

2 of 2 verb

: to pay or obtain cash for

cash a check

Etymology

Noun

from early French casse or early Italian cassa, both meaning "money box," from Latin capsa "chest, box" — related to case entry 2

Legal Definition

cash

noun

1

: ready money

2

: money or its equivalent (as a check) paid for goods or services at the time of purchase or delivery